Thankfully for the princess, no intervention was needed on her behalf; the next day their brothers quickly agreed to a ceasefire, and would continue to govern their provinces autonomously until they worked out the matter of who would inherit the kingdom through legal measures. Tara had no doubt that would never happen, but it gave her enough time to mobilize her own troops, and her province's borders were tightened over the next week.
Leaving her plenty of time to spend leisurely.
She sat on the edge of her bed, looking down at the two girls kneeling on the floor, in front of her. She had announced she was bored, swinging her feet rather childishly while she thought. There was a long, awkward silence, Joan and Mira exchanging similarly lost glances, and for a good couple minutes, nobody said anything.
"Come on," Tara said at last, "if I don't hear a suggestion soon, I'm going to start getting upset."
"Um...," Joan murmured reluctantly. "I guess, uh... there was that reward you said you'd give me?"
The princess gave her a look. "You're asking for your reward, pet?"
"Uh, sure...," she said, weakly. "If you wanted a suggestion...."
"That's awfully presumptuous," she said, rolling her eyes. "But would you like that?"
"I guess so...." Joan looked away, uncomfortable, not at all meaning to come across the way that her mistress had interpreted it. Mira offered a look of sympathy.
"Well, I did promise," the princess said with a sigh. "But that's not what I looking for."
"Sorry...," Joan said, her head still bowed. "You don't have to...."
Tara glared. "Don't tell me what to do, pet," she snapped, folding her arms crossly. "No, I'll show you what overdemanding pets are given, Joan."
She got up, walking over to her nightstand.
"Mira, get her undressed, would you?" she instructed, Mira quickly getting up and telling Joan to do the same. The princess opened the drawer of her nightstand and took out a metal key. While Mira undressed the other pet, whispering in her ear to try to calm her down, Tara went over to a door in the corner that Joan had never seen the inside of before, and unlocked it, going inside.
"There there," Mira said softly, hugging Joan once she'd finished stripping her. "I sometimes forget my place, too... now you just have to try to make it up to her."
Joan squeaked quietly. She had no idea what the princess was planning, but she hoped it wouldn't be as bad as Mira's current punishment. She could tell that being pent up was starting to get to her; she knew she sure couldn't stand two weeks without any release.
"Get in here," Tara called out. Mira held Joan's arm gently, and they both walked inside the room.
It was small, with barely enough room for two people to be comfortable, and a couple of shelves with large chests sitting on them at one end of the room; in front of them was an ornate chair. Joan looked nervous.
"Joan, you're tall-- be a dear and grab that hatch in the ceiling?" Tara said, not really asking. Joan reached up to try to open it, but wasn't quite tall enough. She pulled the chair over and was able to open the hatch by standing on that; a pulley came out of the hole in the ceiling. Tara handed her a length of bright red, smooth rope. "Put that through now," she said, and Joan quickly did as she was told, stepping off the chair when she was done.
"Good girl," the princess said, grabbing the rope again. "Now, arms out, palms up-- right, like that," she said, nodding, wrapping it around her wrists and tying it off tightly. Joan stared, confused and still worried, as her mistress grabbed the other end of the rope, and pulled on it so her arms were raised in the air. Then she kept pulling at it, forcing her to stand on the tips of her toes to stay balanced, tying off the rope on a hook on the wall behind her. "There you go," she said, reaching up to stroke Joan's cheek. She shuddered, regretting it as it caused her to sway in the air a little.
Tara looked over Joan's naked body, then slipped her hands between her legs. Joan stared downwards, expecting her to start rubbing, anticipating it; instead she got a sharp pinch, forcing her to yelp out in pain. Mira just stood awkwardly in the corner, not knowing what else to do but uncomfortable watch.
"Now, who do you belong to?" Tara demanded, holding her fingers close enough together to make Joan worried that she'd get another pinch.
"I... y-you, your highness," she stammered.
Tara pinched sharply anyway, and Joan cried out again.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself, pet?" she demanded, glaring.
"I... I'm sorry...," Joan blurted out, trying to think of how to kiss up. "I didn't mean to overstep, I didn't think, I'm sorry...."
Tara grinned with a cruel glint in her eyes, and leaned in, touching Joan's ample breasts with the tips of her fingers, stroking the sides gently. She slowly moved inwards, pressing her thumb and forefinger against each nipple, watching Joan stare alarmedly as she thought about what she'd do next. It was going to hurt a lot, she knew, and she shuddered as she waited.
"Should I twist?" Tara asked, grinning.
Joan was about to cry out, "No!", but stopped herself right before she did, and gulped, realizing what Tara was trying to do. She'd best play along. "I-if you want to," she said weakly.
Tara gave her breasts a gentle grope, but then let go, touching Joan's cheek again.
"Good answer," she said, smiling, then she put her hand down and took a step back. She motioned for Mira to come close, who quickly did.
"Yes, mistress?" Mira asked.
Tara kissed her, lightly touching tongues just for a second before she broke off.
"I'd like you to eat her out now, pet," she said, patting Mira on the ass.
She just nodded obediently, and moved in close, bowing her head. Joan looked down, shivering as Mira breathed hotly against her, feeling the warmth of her mouth touching her, starting to press inside her. She let out a soft moan as Mira delved inside her, her tongue rubbing her firmly in just the right spots.
Suddenly, Tara grabbed her right nipple and twisted it sharply. She cried out, completely caught off guard, and shuddered all over, stumbling to keep her balance as she winced, pain hitting her strongly as Mira pleased her.
"What do you say, girl?"
Joan gasped, then moaned softly, forcing herself to stammer, "th-thank you...."